Views & Briefings

Our growing series of campaigns briefings is for anyone who wants to look into a particular topic related to cycling, either in brief or in depth. They also explain what CTC's formal views are on each of the subjects covered.

It goes without saying that when people cycle somewhere, most of them will need a secure, convenient place to lock their bike for a while when they get there. Lampposts, railings or gutter pipes are simply not good enough.

A town or city centre that restricts motor vehicles helps create an attractive environment for walking and cycling. Visitors, shoppers and residents usually feel the benefits too. Exempting cyclists is unlikely to cause problems because they tend to ride slowly or dismount when it gets crowded.

Children play, or want to play, in streets; and people work and live in them too. Creating Home Zones is a good way to reclaim roads as community space, rather than just a means of getting from A to B in a motor vehicle.

The speed of motor traffic not only aggravates local communities, but also puts people off cycling. There are a number of measures that encourage and enforce slower driving, including physical traffic calming (e.g. speed humps).

There are many reasons for taking a cycle on the train. It might make a longer, non-driving door-to-door journey easier; help with travel to work, to a meeting, for a cycling holiday, or simply a day’s visit to a trail.

Being able to take a cycle with you on buses or coaches is important for both leisure and everyday transport journeys. In rural areas, the facility is particularly useful and can help boost passenger numbers.

For new and existing cyclists, being able to use bus lanes has a lot to offer. There's less traffic to negotiate and it also feels safer than riding outside the lane, between buses and general traffic.